GDLive Newsfeed
We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time. Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
Stages:
 
Enrollment
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Transfers
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Completed
Newsfeed > Mercy's Profile
Mercy's family
Mercy
landscapeCountry:
kenya
workOccupation:
Subsistence farming
faceAge:
22
workCampaign
Kenya Large Transfer
There will be no further updates from this completed recipient.
2nd Payment
Transfer Amount
53150 KES ($442 USD)
access_time over 1 year ago
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How is your life different than it would have been if you never received the transfer?
My new goal is to be able to be able to buy a piece of land. We currently live in half an acre which we have partitioned into two; one part for crop farming and the other part for livestock keeping These are the main economic activities that we engage in here and I am foreseeing a situation where we will have scarcity of land especially for livestock keeping. It is for this reason that we would want to purchase more land around our place of residence that would see us advance our agricultural activities. We plan to save up from our butchery business and be able to purchase a piece of land soon enough. We are very optimistic that the business shall thrive and see us achieve this dream soon.
In your opinion, what does GiveDirectly do well, and what does it not do well?
In my opinion GiveDirectly does well in their mode of enrollment where no one is discriminated against. This has given everyone an equal opportunity to invest the money in different ways and the change in living standards and way of life fir people here is very evident.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
We used KES 25000 to build a kitchen, used another KES 10000 to buy food and clothes for my family and the remainder was used by husband to improve his butchery business.We are a young family of two and all these investments decisions are to help us easily make ends meet in our family. I was using a very old and delapidated kitchen and I saw it fit to build a new one.
 
Initial Payment
Transfer Amount
55000 KES ($477 USD)
access_time 2 years ago
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Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
It was around 10 am while weeding my sukuma wiki vegetables in my garden. That's when I heard my phone ring, on checking I confirmed to have received KES 55,000 from GiveDirectly. I was very excited and immediately left the garden for home. I then relayed the good news to my husband who was at work at the time and he was very happy too and advised me to keep the money till we plan for it.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life since I received the transfers is owning a dairy cow. Initially, I had desired to buy one for the past three years but couldn't afford it. This will not only feed my family but also encourage me to do savings. Secondly, I am grateful because through the transfers my family is better dressed with the latest clothing fashion. This is contrary to earlier when I could only afford second-hand clothing.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
Since I got married about six years ago, I have been buying a liter of milk each day at KES 50. This has been quite costly given that I rely on small-scale farming of sukuma wiki and bananas to feed my family. And on days when I lacked money for milk, I resorted to cooking porridge for breakfast. Fortunately, when I received my transfers recently my priority was to buy a dairy cow. I, therefore, spent KES 25,000 on a heifer which is due in a month. This will not only provide milk for feeding my family but also help me save the money that would be used for milk expenses. Secondly, I spent KES 7,000 on two bags of maize. This has helped in reducing household expenses. This is because earlier on we used to rely on my husband who works as a casual butcher man for the past year where he gets up to KES 500 a day for food. Thirdly, I spent KES 3,000 on the latest clothing and shoes for my family because my kids were wearing tattered second-hand clothes and walked barefoot earlier on. Last but not least, I spent KES 15,000 on the purchase of ceiling materials and payment of labor costs. This is because before GiveDirectly came I has worked hard to build a semi-permanent Iron roofed house but ran out of money for the ceiling. The remaining sum of money I have kept for household consumption.
 
Enrolled
access_time 2 years ago
 
What does receiving this money mean to you?
Receiving this money means improved living standards for me and my family of three. Currently, we purchase foodstuff including milk from the market which is expensive considering we do not have a stable source of income. It can cost up to KES 1400 per month and we must purchase it because of the young children. I, therefore, plan to buy a cow of KES 30,000. For the rest of the amount, I will use it to construct a new kitchen since the one we have is old and it.
What is the happiest part of your day?
Two months ago we had news that Give Directly was approaching our village. We have been waiting and hoping that our village will be among the ones to be censored. The happiest moment was when Give Directly conducted a community meeting a week ago, it was a confirmation that finally we are getting help. What is making us happy is the developments that are happening in villages that Give Directly has given the transfer, it is visible and similar to plans that we have too.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
The main challenge is financial constraints. At the moment we are sourcing most of the household needs from the market( including milk, maize flour,) which is costly. My husband who is the sole provider is a butcher man (employed under someone else) who earns KES 300 a day, which goes to buying food. This means we do not get extra to save or acquire assets.